Hyperbaric oxygen treatment

Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment is a medical treatment by which oxygen is administered at greater than normal pressure to a patient in order to treat specific medical indications. Long established as the primary therapy in the treatment of medical disorders such as carbon monoxide poisoning and gas gangrene, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is now increasingly being used on an adjunctive basis in the management of a variety of disorders refractory to standard medical and surgical care. hyperbaric oxygen treatment has been shown to be particularly effective in treating problem wounds, chronic bone infections and radiation injury.
In Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment, the patient is placed in a specially designed chamber, the pressure in the chamber is increased, and 100% oxygen is breathed. Alveolar oxygen pressure is increased, causing a rise in plasma oxygen content which results in enhanced tissue oxygen delivery. The amount of pressure increase and the length of time under pressure are determined by the condition being treated. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment pressures are usually between 2 and 3 times atmospheric. Hyperbaric oxygen treatments usually last from 1 to 2 hours at full pressure.